Mike Goetz's impressions
This impression of the Toronto auto show comes after the one-day show-and-tell blitz known as media day. So it is more of a take on media day.
Like any major auto show, it will take a few tours of the show floor to fully digest and appreciate all the shiny metal objects and their technological secrets.
But no doubt that media day was a bit subdued, compared to previous years. No surprise debuts. No sizzle. No dancing girls. Not much buzz.
Even when there was something quite new to show us it wasn’t done with much theatrics. The 2011 Ford Edge was only unveiled only days earlier in the week at Chicago; its Canadian debut here was low-key. The very new Kia Forte Hybrid was just sitting there in Kia’s display area; Kia didn’t even have a press conference.
Maybe the automakers just aren’t ready to party yet, or feel they need to be more responsible these days.
But despite all that, there are fantastic vehicles to check out here, both from the majors and the minors. The best example from the niche guys is the wild Plethore LC-750, which is advertising itself as the first Canadian Supercar (www.httsupercar.com).
In addition to the new cars, Toronto also puts on a great classic display. This year’s Carroll Shelby display is alone worth the price of admission.
This impression of the Toronto auto show comes after the one-day show-and-tell blitz known as media day. So it is more of a take on media day.
 |
| Honda CR-Z (photo: Michael Wong) |
Like any major auto show, it will take a few tours of the show floor to fully digest and appreciate all the shiny metal objects and their technological secrets.
But no doubt that media day was a bit subdued, compared to previous years. No surprise debuts. No sizzle. No dancing girls. Not much buzz.
Even when there was something quite new to show us it wasn’t done with much theatrics. The 2011 Ford Edge was only unveiled only days earlier in the week at Chicago; its Canadian debut here was low-key. The very new Kia Forte Hybrid was just sitting there in Kia’s display area; Kia didn’t even have a press conference.
Maybe the automakers just aren’t ready to party yet, or feel they need to be more responsible these days.
 |
| Plethore LC-750 (photo: Michael Wong) |
But despite all that, there are fantastic vehicles to check out here, both from the majors and the minors. The best example from the niche guys is the wild Plethore LC-750, which is advertising itself as the first Canadian Supercar (www.httsupercar.com).
In addition to the new cars, Toronto also puts on a great classic display. This year’s Carroll Shelby display is alone worth the price of admission.